The True Story of Pokemon
by Mistseer
Summary: Forget everything you know about Pokemon. It's all a lie.
1. Beginnings

Begginings

The TV flashed bright colors, picturing a professional Pokemon battle. Gengar was about to land the finishing blow, and-

"Ash Ketchum, what are you doing up this late!?" his mom's voice ripped his eyes away from the screen. "I told you to be in bed by nine and it's already past _ten_! What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh- mom, I'm really sorry, it's just, with tomorrow and everything, I just can't sleep, so please let me stay up a little longer mom, please?" Came his lame reply. His mother sighed.

"Well, I suppose that's true. Your father was the exact same the day before the Choosing, his excitement and energy-" she cut off, then restarted quickly, "I mean, if you have to watch something, let's have it be educational. Here, this will teach you all you need to know, but when this is over it's off to be with you, no excuses."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks mom, really." The channel she had set it to wasn't as good as the previous one, but it kept Ash's mind occupied, so he didn't complain.

"There are many types of Pokemon, and upon each Choosing Day, children, upon coming of age, are transformed into budding trainers by the selection of a Battling Pokemon companion." The TV-Professor Oak droned on. Though he had been told so many times, Ash could never get used to the idea that their small town Professor was famous outside of Palet; he just didn't look right on TV. "The three standard starting Pokemon are Bulbasour, Squirtle, and Charmander. Though there are a few exceptions, young trainers will most likely receive one of those three State Approved Pokemon. Each has different strengths and weaknesses, so choose carefully." The program continued for another quarter hour, explaining different trainer tools such as the newly developed Pokedex, and when it was done Ash obediently shut down the TV and crawled into bed.

Morning sunshine flitted through the gaps in his curtains, throwing his room into twilight. As a beam found his eye, Ash awoke. He got up, yawned, and stretched, then threw open the curtains to let in the full daylight and banish any clinging shadows.

"What time is it?" He wondered aloud, rubbing his eyes. He glanced at his alarm clock and almost fell out of bed; it was nearly nine. In his exhausted stupor last night, Ash had forgotten to reset his alarm and hour early for Choosing Day, and now he was over half an hour late. He threw on his cloths and sprinted out the door, not bothering to say goodbye to his mother. Friends and family watching the Choosing come an hour later to see the new trainers leave, since they aren't allowed inside during the decision, so as not to sway the trainer in his or her choice.

He ran past the small houses lining either side of him skidded left onto the dirt road that led to Professor Oak's home and laboratory. Ignoring the pain in his side, Ash ran up the hill and saw the white dome of the laboratory. Panting, he sprinted past a small crowd of onlookers who had come early, barely hearing the "Hey, Ash, aren't you a little late?" and stifled giggles, bursting through the double doors of the laboratory.

"Oi! Hey Ash, I was just thinking you weren't going to show up." Gary laughed. Ash didn't even have enough breath to reply as he doubled over, panting hard. "Well, I'm leaving, Gramps, you'll probably see me on TV sometime soon." Gary said as he left the room. Ash muttered a few choice words under his breath and stood up. He was in the main room of the laboratory, messy as ever despite the special day it was. Oak's laboratory was large, and had it been anyone else's it would've been roomy, but somehow Oak always managed to clutter it with research and coffee mugs. Oak was watching the place where Gary had stood just a few moments before with a peculiar expression on his face, but then he composed himself.

"Ah, Ash, how was your morning run?" Professor Oak started, but then stopped when Ash threw him an "I'm-not-amused" look. "Now, now, I was just joking, no need to be so serious. So, young Ash, which Pokemon shall you choose?" The professor routinely asked.

"Well, I've thought about it, and I'll take Squirtle!" But as he said these words, Professor Oak fidgeted.

"You see Ash, the thing is, Squirtle's already been taken by someone who got here, well, on _time_."

"Damn it, did Gary take Squirtle?" Ash exclaimed.

"Calm down Ash! You very well know I cannot tell you other trainer's choices, and watch your language or I may very well refuse you a Pokemon until you can learn to speak properly."

"Sorry Professor Oak, please give me a Pokemon." Ash mumbled. Professor Oak sighed.

"Young Ash, I'll be frank. The three standard Pokemon have already been chosen by different trainers."

"You don't mean-" Ash began, horrified. The idea that he would have to wait another year for his Pokemon, give Gary that much time to get ahead, gave him a sick feeling in his stomach. "I mean, you have to have something left for me! I don't care if it's not standard, as long as it's a Pokemon! Please Professor!"

"I'm sorry Ash, but that's the fact of the matter. We didn't expect so many new trainers, so we weren't properly…" But Ash had stopped listening. Something had caught his eye, something to the left of the professor that gleamed behind a small stack of papers. There was no doubt about it; it was a Pokeball.

Hope surged through Ash as he reached for it. He would get a Pokemon! The Professor was just playing some mean joke on him for being late, but Ash would get him back when he became a champion with this Pokemon!

"Professor!" Ash said with a smile. "I'll take this one!" He reached for it, his hand closing around the cool, round surface. It felt right in his hand. But Professor Oak looked very wrong.

"Ash, wait, no!" He cried. But it was too late. Ash had already pressed the small, round button in the center of the Pokeball, releasing the seal and causing the Pokemon's matter to reconstruct into its original form: a Pikachu.

It was small and yellow, with long ears and an even longer tail that zigzagged as if it had been struck by lightning. It's eyes so dark they seemed to have no pupil, yet they were also very bright and alive. It grinned, the red pouches on its cheeks releasing some excess static electricity, and cried in a loud voice "Pika-chu!"

Ash marveled at it, until Professor Oak moved in front of it with his arms spread wide, blocking it from view.

"Ash Ketchum you may not have this Pokemon! I would never dream of giving a Pokemon like this to a rookie trainer like you." He cried, angrier than he should have been. "Now give me that Pokeball and go home!"

"Wha- What?" Ash said, aghast. But his surprise quickly transformed into anger, too. "Why not? It's a Pikachu, not an Ursaring! It's a fine starter Pokemon, and just because I'm a rookie doesn't make me a bad trainer! Are you trying to give Gary a leg-up or something?" Ash accused, clutching the Pokeball tight. He was fuming and the Professor was unrelenting, still standing with his arms spread wide as if that would solve the problem.

Then the phone rang.


	2. Ring Ring, Hello?

Ring Ring, Hello?

The sound of the phone seemed to break the tension of the moment, if only slightly. Professor Oak sighed deeply.

"I am going to answer the phone and when I come back you are going to do as I say. Are we clear?" The Professor said, calmer now but still very stern, the lines of his aged face hard.

"But-" Ash began to protest, but the Professor interrupted him.

"No buts. Now wait here for me." He said, turning to retrieve the phone from another room full of messy papers and half-finished projects. Ash looked down at the small red and white ball clutched tightly in his hand and then up at the Pikachu sitting lightly on the edge of the desk, completely uninterested in its surroundings and beginning to lick its fur. Ash wondered sadly whether it was a boy or a girl. He knew there was a way to tell but he couldn't remember what it was right now, and he would probably never find out. Not like it mattered. When the Professor was done with his phone call he would take this Pokemon away, and nothing Ash said would change that. He had seen it in the old man's eyes, a determinedness and fixation that no spoken words could change. Why wouldn't he let Ash have the Pokemon? Was it really because he was trying to help Gary? No. The Professor wouldn't do that, even though Gary was his grandson. And Ash had thought that Oak had liked him, even though he did always complain about how Ash was too loud and fast for an old man like him.

So… why? Ash couldn't figure it out, so instead he just reached out his hand and began stroking the Pikachu's soft fur. The Pikachu made a small noise and gave him an annoyed look, but Ash was too lost in gloomy thoughts to notice. He did notice, however, when the Pikachu's fur began to feel more like hard wire than soft hair, charged with electricity so that it sent a numbing feeling up his arm. Ash saw the Pikachu's face contort so that shadows appeared under his eyes, the pouches at his cheeks loosing more than just excess electricity. He tried to pull his hand away, but it wouldn't move, frozen from the electrical currents running up and down it.

"Pi-KA-chu!" Ash's vision was overwhelmed with a blinding flash of white and then encased in black, and he found himself lying on the floor, not remembering having fallen. Slowly his eyes cleared and he saw the Pikachu look down at him, its ears twitching, then go back to cleaning itself.

He couldn't pick himself up off the floor, his body wouldn't move right. The room was spinning an orbital around him, and his ears were ringing loudly. But the ring in his ears wasn't loud enough to block out the question repeating itself over and over in his mind.

What. The. Hell. Captured Pokemon didn't act like that, didn't attack without a command. Wild Pokemon would if you provoked them, but not captured Pokemon. It was unheard of. There was no way. Ash had released it from the Pokeball himself, this was definitely not a wild Pikachu. The Pokeball itself was held tightly in his left hand, and his head was turned toward it. Ash then noticed the small, lighting-shaped sticker on its front, which he had not seen before.

As feeling returned to his limbs, Ash's head started throbbing. Too much excitements and downfalls and questions had happened to him today, and now he had just been attacked by "tamed" Pokemon. There must be something wrong with it.

_At least I know why the Prof wouldn't give it to me now, _Ash thought bitterly as he struggled to stand up again. He looked warily at the Pikachu, but it looked quite docile now, smoothing down its long ears as it continued to clean its fur. Finally managing to stand, he took a few steps away from the Pikachu before noticing Professor Oak returning from his phone call.

Ash looked at the floor. Though he could understand why Oak wouldn't give the Pikachu to him, Ash was still depressed about not getting a Pokemon.

"Professor… here." Ash said, holding out the Pokeball and still looking at his shoes.

Oak didn't take the Pokeball. Instead he just said, "I've changed my mind. You need to take the Pikachu." These words startled Ash out of his sad reverie. He looked up at the Professor's face, noticed how pale it had become, and how sad his eyes looked. Yet they were still determined, and the lines of his face were set.

"What? What do you mean?" Ash said. He had not expected this.

"Like I've said, I changed my mind. That Pikachu is now yours. Protect it." Oak said, still very solemn.

"But… like you said, beginners can't- it's too dangerous," Ash stuttered, then composing himself, "Professor, it attacked me!" Ash exclaimed. But the Professor had turned away. He was rummaging through a box of God-knows-what with apparent little success.

"Professor! I was petting it and it _electrocuted_ me!" Ash said. He never thought he would find himself arguing _against_ getting a Pokemon, but these weren't normal circumstances. Oak finally looked up at him.

"If he had really attacked you you'd be in much worse shape. He was merely telling you to stop, and though it may seem violent for you, it was a natural reaction for him." Oak said, and then continued to rummage through the box, his face unreadable.

"Listen to me! It used a battling move without a command against me. It's not even a wild Pokemon! It's a capture-"

"I know it is a captured Pokemon Ash!" Oak said, finally at his wit's end with the young boy. "But that Pikachu is not a normal Pokemon. It is very special and it needs to be protected so I'm giving it to you. Now be quiet!" Ash reluctantly obeyed, but promised to question the Professor fully once given the chance. Oak now stood up and, searching around in the pockets of his lab coat, finally found what he was looking was a small, red, rectangular object with buttons and a large screen on the front. A Pokedex.

"Ash," The Professor said, "I don't have a lot of time, so I can't explain this to you as much as I would like, but you need to listen to me very carefully. I assume you know what a Pokedex is." He said, holding it up. "This Pokedex, however, contains more information aside that of Pokemon buried deep within its coding. Important information. Do not try to reach this data, without the right key you will only destroy it. There is, however, a message already loaded in here from me for you. This message is set to be activated when the Pokedex is at a specific location." Oak said, pausing for breath and then continuing, "Do you remember the abandoned farm that you and Gary slept over at one night for a dare? Go there and listen to the message. Then do exactly as it says." The Professor finished, holding the Pokedex out for him. Ash took it gingerly. Most of what Oak had just said went completely over his head, but he got that the Pokedex was very important and that there was a message for him that he could only read when he went to the abandoned farm.

"But, what-" Ash asked, about ready to explode with questions.

"I'm sorry Ash, but I can't explain it right now. Just go out there and get to the farm. _Trust_ me." Oak said. Normally Ash would've protested, but something about the Professor's eyes, something in his voice stopped Ash. _Now's not the time, _It told him,_ this is serious._

"Ok. Ash said, storing the Pokedex inside one of his pockets and pressing the release button of the Pokeball to reseal the Pikachu. But the Pikachu dodged the red beam that would have deconstructed his matter and transfer it into light to be stored by the Pokeball. Ash tried again, but the same thing happened.

"This Pikachu doesn't like to be put in his Pokeball, and we're running out of time so you'll just have to carry him." Oak explained.

"But last time-"

"Just hold out your hands to him, he'll let you carry him." Oak said, now clearly agitated. Ash obeyed cautiously, but sure enough the Pikachu hopped into his arms when he held them out to it. It was heavier than Ash had expected it to be.

"Now go!" Oak said, holding open the door for him. Ash looked out at the crowd below, all waiting to congratulate him. His Choosing Day was barely past morning and it had already gone horribly wrong. But he still took that step outside the threshold of Oak's lab and onto the dirt path, to the world beyond. There was no turning back now.

Oak closed the doors behind Ash. With the boy's presence no longer keeping him composed, Oak couldn't contain himself any longer. He sank to the floor and curled his arms around his knees, tears streaming down his aged face.

"I'm sorry Ash." He whispered. "I'm sorry, Gary."


	3. Tears of the Damned

**Hello readers! Phew! This chapter was long! By the way, TTT means that there has been a time lapse or scene change. Hop you enjoy it!**

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Tears of the Damned

Ash walked slowly down to the waiting crowd, full of happy people waiting to congratulate him. Ash did not feel happy at all. His whirring mind drowned out the cheers of the people below.

_Why did the Prof absolutely _refuse_ to give me Pikachu before and then come back and insist I take it? Did it have something to do with the phone call? And why did he keep saying he didn't have much time? _He wondered to himself. _And what's this whole deal with the secret information on my Pokedex? And what the _hell_ is wrong with this Pikachu? _Ash had too many questions and not nearly enough answers. _I just wanted to become a trainer! With a _normal_ Pokemon! Is that really too much to ask?_ The more he thought about it, the angrier he became with Professor Oak and his vagueness. The thought of Oak's face now, his eyes so dark they looked black and his nose forever crooked when he had broken it researching, Ash felt like somebody had slapped him. He had half a mind to march back up the hill and demand answers- but he was already within arm's reach of the crowd, if he turned back now he would look like a fool. And he had to catch up to Gary.

"Ash, dear, I did you a favor and packed all of your things in here for you." Said his mom, startling him out of his thoughts. She was holding his green backpack in her hands and wore the I-couldn't-be-happier-with-you smile only a mother could pull off. "But you left in such a rush I couldn't give it to you." She continued. "There's food and cloths and- Oh! Is that your Pokemon? It's so cute!" And before he could stop her, before he could say a word of warning, she reached out her hand and grabbed the Pikachu's cheek.

For a moment, nothing happened. Pikachu went almost limp, apparently stunned at having his personal bubble popped so quickly and completely. Then he growled and said "Pika-PI!" letting loose an electric shock throughout the crowd. Though it was considerably weaker than the one Ash had received, just enough to stun and not to actually hurt, it had done its damage. Pikachu had just used a battling move without a command.

The faces in the crowd transformed from happy expressions to ones of confusion and disbelief, except for some of the younger children who laughed, thinking it was all a joke. This gave Ash an idea.

Ash laughed louder than the children combined.

"Haha! I told my Pikachu to do that when we got down here, now you all know how strong he is!" He said. Hopefully everyone would just let it off as a bad joke, and not think that something was wrong with his first Pokemon.

"Ash Ketchum that was a very bad joke and someone as irresponsible as that should not be given a Pokemon!" It was Gary's mom, using the same lecture voice as when she found out he and Gary had snuck out to spend the night at the abandoned farm. The abandoned farm. Where a message was supposedly waiting for him.

Mrs. Oak launched into a long lecture about maturity and responsibility with Pokemon. Normally he would have felt bad about making Mrs. Oak mad, but he couldn't help but be relieved. Though he did not t know why he didn't want people finding out about Pikachu, something made him laugh, made him _lie_ to these people to keep it a secret.

_And since when had it become a secret? _He asked himself. _Since Oak had tried to keep it a secret from you? Maybe some of his damn vagueness is rubbing off on me._ He thought bitterly. He was beginning to recall some of his anger at the Professor again. When Mrs. Oak had finally said her piece (by which time most of the crowd had gone home), she left, promising him that if he ever did anything so thoughtless again she would make the professor take his Pokemon away. Soon the only people left were him and his mom.

Noticing that she was still holding his backpack, he set Pikachu on the ground and reached out for it.

"Thanks for packing my bag." He said, his hand closing around the strap. But as he did so, his mother grabbed his wrist. Startled, he tried to pull back, but she wouldn't let go.

"Ash," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "I love you. And I always will, no matter what. You know that, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I love you too." He said awkwardly, not being good with over emotional situations. Ash guessed this was just his mom being too passionate since he was leaving for a while, but then she continued.

"But I can't be a part of this." she said, letting go of his wrist. "I'm sorry, but I had thought" she paused, tears now clearly visible in her voice. "I had _thought_ that maybe your father had loved you a little more than he had loved me." Tears were streaming from her dark, brown eyes and flowing down her cheeks. "But I guess I was wrong." These last words were barely audible, her tears choking her voice.

"What do you-" Ash said, caught completely off guard at the mention of his father, but his mom interrupted him.

"Don't. Don't speak." The words were barely more than a whisper, but they were enough to stop him cold. "Just go and… and do what you need to do. But please, _please_ leave me out of it. And be careful." She said, her eyes downcast. "And remember that I love you." His mother turned and ran. Down the path, farther and farther from Ash until the folds of the hills embraced her, blocking her from his sight. He stood there, stunned.

He had thought several times his day couldn't have gone any more wrong, and he was wrong on all occasions, but suddenly it had become a thousand times worse. His mother had said him she loved him and then told him to get out of her life as if _she_ was the victim. This was supposed to be a happy day, the day he began the road to his dream: becoming a Pokemon Master and winning their small town some fame. Last night he would've given anything to speed up time and come to this place, and now he would give double just to turn back the clock and go back to where he was. Excited and his mother excited for him too, not sad because of him.

The day was too warm, too bright for these things to be happening. Nothing like that day. The day his father had disappeared. Ash started walking aimlessly up the path, but he didn't see the ground beneath his feet. He was lost in his memories, relieving that night…

TTT

_Enough crying_. Oak thought to himself. _Get up._ But his body would not obey. No matter how many times you go through it, you were never prepared. Never prepared to lose someone you love.

"_Your grandson, he looks so much like his father. Be a shame for him to have the same fate." _Said a cool, female voice right into his ear, as if she wasn't threatening to kill his grandson.

The call replayed in his mind. Gary, unsuspecting, used as a mere tool to against his grandfather. This wasn't what should have happened. Oak had made his choice, had kept Gary ignorant to protect him. But his life was still being tossed around however they liked it. The injustice of it all angered Oak enough to let him pick himself up off the floor. But that anger was quickly smothered by despair.

_"But he won't, because you can stop it. Just cooperate with us. Surrender all your research and quit the project. That's all. You can save him. Only you."_

Oak knew the offer was false. They would never be satisfied with just his research and a promise to be good, because no matter what papers they burned he still _knew_. It was not something you easily forgot.

Yet he was tempted, sorely tempted to just let them take his research and his life in the hope that maybe, _maybe_ he could keep his grandson safe. And not all of it would be destroyed. What was important would remain, because there was still the Pikachu and the Pokedex. So maybe… no.

Oak forced himself to stop this wishful thinking. If they looked through his research, if they found how much he really knew, beyond their darkest suspicions, nobody would be safe. The whole town would be in jeopardy. And both Gary and Ash and many others would be eliminated, just for having a connection with him. No. The only way was to make them think he destroyed his research, and let Ash escape with Pikachu and the Pokedex. Everything important was there, secret, safe. Hopefully.

They would never find out how much he really knew. Oak had prepared for this long ago. He walked through his stacks of paper and into another room. He didn't care that his life's research was about to perish, but he wished he could save the photographs. He walked over the dresser that held them. Him and his wife as they got married. Gary as a young boy, holding an injured Pidgey Oak was caring for at the time. A sketch that Kenny, Oak's son, drew years ago when he was still young. Gary had sloppily colored it in with marker when he was a toddler. At the time Oak was very mad at him, for he cherished the drawing, but now it seemed to enhance the picture. Then there was Gary as a baby, his father holding him in his arms like he was the most precious thing in the world.

_"You have half an hour to decide. And if you withhold anything, even the smallest, piece of information that every child knows, we will shoot your grandson. Half an hour." _The call had ended there with a small click from the other side of the line. He looked at his watch. Three minutes left. He fingered the small black box in his pocket.

_Funny how I had never noticed before just how blue the sky was_. He thought to himself as he looked out one of his windows. He was noticing a lot of things he had ignored before. The smell of coffee which he loved so much. The feel of his feet in his leather shoes. The sound of his clock counting the seconds pass slowly, and yet too fast. The way his tears ran like a river down the lines of his wrinkled face. They tasted like salt. He smiled. He heard footsteps now, faint but growing louder. He would wait. Wait until they were right upon him and take some of the damn bastards down with him.

The sky was blue. A ring at the door. The seconds ticked away. Knocking, insistent now. The leather of his shoes. Wood, cracking as it was forced open. His tears tasted like salt. Footsteps, running now. Oak closed his eyes. Darkness.

"I love you, Gary." Oak said, thinking of his grandson's face, bright with the excitement of a new adventure. "I love you, Kenny." And there was Oak's own son, his hands on Gary's shoulders, smiling as he got to see how Gary had aged in Oak's mind's eye. How big he had become. He fingered the black box in his pocket. The footsteps got ever closer, finding their way through the maze of paper to him. Oak pressed the button in the center of the box. "See you soon."

There was a noise like thunder as the world exploded all around him.

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**Two things:**

**1. My chapter posting will be very spontaneous from now on; it comes out when it comes out- there's no set date.**

**2. I appreciate all your reviews, so please tell me what you think! Even if it's you telling me you hate me for killing off Oak... I hate myself right now too! T.T**


	4. Memories

**This chapter doesn't have a lot of action (mainly it's Ash walking and Pikachu sneezing), but I feel it's important to the story and it leads up to the next chapter (which does have a lot of action) So, enjoy!**

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Memories

Ash was wandering aimlessly up a dirt path when a sound of thunder startled him out of his thoughts. He looked around for the source; to the east clouds could be seen forming, but they were too far off to have been the source, it had sounded so close. He hadn't seen any flash of lighting either, and thunder always went after—lighting! He slapped his forehead. _How could I have forgotten? _He thought angrily to himself. When Ash had left after talking to his mother he had completely forgotten about Pikachu. It was probably still down there, or else wandering about God-knows-where.

Ash spun around, angry at himself and prepared for a long trek back down the hill, only to see the bright yellow Pokemon following him a few feet behind.

"Oh!" Ash said, surprised. He hadn't expected the Pikachu to follow him. But when the Pikachu saw he was looking at it, it quickly looked down and then bounded up ahead and past Ash like he wasn't there.

"H-hey, wait up!" Ash said, running after it. But the Pikachu did not slow down, instead it began to run even faster.

"Damn it, Pikachu! When I say stop, stop!" Ash said, "Halt! Wait! Cease running!" He cried, desperate. They were all very clear commands, so _why_ wouldn't the Pikachu listen to him? What a screwed up Pokemon, it didn't just use moves without commands, it ignored them too. And of course _Ash_ had been the one to get it. They had reached the top of the hill and the ground began to slope downward, the Pikachu still a few feet ahead. Ash was running out of stamina. _Why is everything going wrong today?_ Ash thought to himself. He was sure the other trainers were doing fine with their Pokemon, and Gary was probably already in Viridian City.

As the ground leveled out the Pikachu finally leaped up into the branches of a small tree, just out of Ash's reach.

"Damn it, Pikachu!" He said again, banging his fist against the trunk. Though the Pikachu seemed to be breathing heavily, he wasn't nearly as tired as Ash was. _Stupid Pokemon, so stupid it can't even follow a command. _Ash thought, slumped against the trunk. The day's events had already put him in a foul mood, and this seemed to be the breaking point.

"Why! Why does the stupid Professor have to give me such a crappy Pokemon!?" Ash yelled to the sky, unable to contain his frustration. "Damn old man, trying to help his _precious superstar grandson, _who's perfect in _every way!" _Ash said the last words in a mock-sweet voice, but it was so tainted by anger that even Ash was slightly surprised to hear the sounds come out of his mouth. He was having what his mother would have called a 'temper tantrum.' The thought angered him. "Damn, good for nothing mom, she doesn't even know! She doesn't even care about _her own son!_" Ash knew the words he was saying weren't true, but it didn't matter. His anger was like an Arcanine now, clawing at his stomach and roaring through his mouth. "Damn them all, I hope they all die!" he yelled, loud enough to startle some nearby Pidgey.

His hands were sore from hitting the tree, and he was finding it surprisingly difficult to breath. He leaned his back against the trunk and sank down to its roots, his anger replaced by exhaustion. He looked up at the sky. It was nearly noon, and he had barely left the town.

"Stupid alarm clock…" he said, but he was too tired to feel angry. He just felt hollow inside, like his rage had been a fire that had burned itself out and now just left him empty. The Pikachu seemed to sense his defeated spirit, and hopped down from the branch it had perched itself on.

"Pikapi?" it said, not really concerned for Ash but startled by his sudden loudness and then silence. Ash just sneered and looked away. The Pikachu did likewise. After several minutes it found something in the ground to be extremely interesting and started to sniff and paw at the soil, clearly bored. For around a quarter hour Ash sulked until his back started to cramp up from staying idle for so long against the rough bark. Finally he got up and stretched, feeling slightly better despite his attempts to stay angry. Ash wasn't good at holding grudges, though he had tried several times.

Ash began to take note of his surroundings. There was a small stream a couple feet ahead of him, with a few willow trees at its bank breaking the monotony of oak and elm trees that made up most of the forest surrounding Palet. As he walked closer to the stream, he saw a large, flat stone in the middle of the water, big enough for three people if you squeezed together. He remembered he and Gary used to wade out to the rock and pretend that they were lost on an abandoned island. They would use "fishing rods", which were really just sticks, to hook moss flowing down the stream. They pretended the moss was a Magikarp, which they would "eat." One time they had actually braved a nibble, but after that they just threw it back into the stream. If a stick floated past they pretended it was a Gyarados, and had to be very still and quiet or else they would be "eaten." One day a Pokeball had somehow gotten tangled in the moss they fished up. Since Gary had saw it first but Ash had been the one to fish the moss up, there had been a huge argument about whose it was. During that fight they had broke in half, Ash getting the red side and Gary the white. They didn't talk to each other for a whole three days after that, which was a very long time for them then. Ash felt for the small, round lump inside one of the outer pockets of his backpack. He didn't know why, but he always carried the broken half of that Pokeball around with him, like it was a good luck charm.

With the rock serving as a landmark Ash knew exactly where he was, the road was just a few yards to his left. Shouldering his backpack he marched purposefully towards where the path was, hoping the Pikachu would follow him like it did last time. Sure enough, he could hear the sound of its paws padding quietly behind him. Had it not been for the dry leaves that lay strewn about the forest floor, Ash probably wouldn't have been able to hear the Pikachu's soft footsteps; Ash sounded like a Nidoking by comparison.

Finally he reached the dirt road that led to Viridian City. Now that they were back on the path he could no longer hear the Pikachu's quiet footsteps. He willed himself not to look behind him to check if the Pikachu was still following, the last thing he needed was another wild goose chase. He had been walking for what seemed like an hour when he suddenly remembered what the Professor had told him to do.

"I completely forgot!" He yelled, thinking out loud. Luckily he had only missed the small path by a quarter mile, so it wasn't a long backtrack. The path to the old farmhouse was almost completely overrun by weeds, but Ash knew the way well from all the times he and Gary had journeyed back here in secret. Soon he could see the dejected, brown building in a small clearing of trees. There were two buildings; a smaller one to the right where its long gone occupants probably used to sleep, the roof of which was now entirely caved in, and the larger barn. The barn had fared better than the smaller house; for though there were some holes in its roof much of it was still intact. Though the forest threatened to swallow the small settlement up, you could still see the remains of a path that led to the sagging doors of the forlorn barn house.

Ash followed this path inside the barn, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. The barn itself seemed much less scary than the time he and Gary had spent the night; the walls didn't seem to be closing in as much as sagging under the weight of time. The floor was carpeted with brittle, long-dead hay, some of which still stood dejected in bales in a corner. Pikachu sneezed, its nose irritated by the all the dust.

"Bless you." Ash said automatically, but the Pikachu didn't respond. _What could the message be about? _Ash wondered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the red Pokedex, its screen flickering to life at the press of a button. For a moment, nothing happened except the Pokedex's menu screen popping up. Then two moments. Then three. Ash was beginning to wonder whether he had gone to the wrong place, or if this was all some kind of mean joke, when suddenly an image of the professor flared onto the screen.

"Hello, Gary."

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**Ohhhhh, what a cliff-hanger! Well, not really, but better than nothing! As always, please leave your reviews! Not as always, here is a good song for you to listen to! Don't ask why, just listen to it. It's not my favorite song or anything, but I decided I'm going to leave you good songs at the end of each chapter as a reward for you reading my random crap! If you don't like the songs it's fine, everyone has the right to a wrong opinion. Any way, here's the song itunes landed on today:**

**Little House by The Fray**

**Bye!**


	5. Dead Eyes

**Finally! The next chapter. I know I promised some action last time, but I realized it would be to long so I had to cut the chapter in half. The ****_next_**** chapter will have action. Anyway, Enjoy!**

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Dead Eyes

As Ash stared at the screen, he realized that the Professor looked at least several years younger. His hair was a dusty brown with streaks of gray, instead of the silver crown Ash had last seen him wearing. The lines on his face were softer, too. It gave him a refreshing and less-stern look. And his nose was perfectly strait, not crooked from where it had been broken. If his nose hadn't been broken yet, this recording had to be at least ten years old.

"Hello, Gary." The young-Oak said, smiling. Wait, Gary? If this recording was ten years old, Gary had just been born. Why had Oak been recording secret messages for his newborn grandson all those years ago? And why had he suddenly decided to give Ash this message that had been intended for Gary?

"Chances are you will never receive this message. But if you are hearing this, then I assume that… _circumstances_ have not gone my way. It's too dangerous to explain everything to you on one recording, so I can't tell you why you're supposed to do this. You just need to trust me and do _exactly_ what this message says." Here Oak paused for a breath. "Go to Viridian City and find your father, Kenny. Since he's the Noble he shouldn't be too hard to locate."

_What? Gary's father was a _Noble? Though towns like Palet were too small to have one, Ash had heard of Nobles. They governed the eight major cities in Kanto. Noble's protected their town and enforced the laws passed by the Indigo League. They were very prestigious people, and Ash had never dreamed that Gary's father had been one. But whatever he had been, it didn't matter now since Gary's dad was dead. He must have still been alive when Oak created this recording.

"Tell him about this message and give him this Pokedex and the Pokeball I gave you. You need to deliver that to him, no matter what. Then do exactly what your dad tells you to. Be careful, and I love you." The screen went dark.

_That was it? _Ash thought incredulously. _How in hell does Oak want me to deliver something to a dead guy? And why the hell did he make me get this damn useless message? And what Pokeball is he talking about? Pikachu's? _But then the screen flickered back to life once more. It was the young-Oak again, but now he was holding a blood-stained cloth up to his nose. _This must have been when he broke it. _Ash thought.

"Gary, I'm so sorry. They found out, I don't know how but they found out about Kenny." The Professors voice sounded strange, muffled by his bleeding nose and stretched thin with stress. "Your father's dead. He's been killed." Wait, what? Gary's dad was… murdered? Who was 'they' and what had they discovered about Gary's dad that led them to kill him? Ash had no idea. "There's only one left, only one you can trust. The Noble from Pewter; Flint. You need to find him and ask him about the Noble's badges." Ash had never heard of a Noble's badge before. The Professor continued. "Ask him to explain the badges to you. They're the keys. They unlock the hidden data on the Pokedex." Ash remembered Oak telling him about secret information in the Pokedex back in the laboratory. "You need to unlock this information. It will be dangerous, though, so I have hidden a weapon for you. It is in the far right corner of the old barn, behind those haystacks. Find it and take it, and God willing you will never have to use it. But take it anyway. Remember, Find Flint and ask him about the Noble's badges. Trust me." The screen went dark.

That was it? _This_ was the message that was supposed to explain why the hell Oak was acting so damn weird? "Here are a billion more questions and another place you have to go to get 'answers.'" Ash's headache had returned. Ash sighed and looked up. Pikachu was playing with some straw, squealing with joy.

_Whatever. _Ash wasn't angry anymore; he was done with the matter. He didn't want answers. Didn't want to find out whatever happened to Gary's dad or what a Noble's badge was. He was going to become a professional Pokemon fighter like he had always dreamed, not go chasing after some old man's cock-and-bull story. The Pikachu had stopped playing with the straw, looking intently at the door with his ears twitching.

"C'mon Pikachu." Ash said, turning toward the broken door. One step. Two steps. Voices. Ash paused, his foot hovering over the ground on what would have been his third step. Voices? Way out here in the middle of nowhere? Was somebody lost? Pikachu growled, static coming from his cheeks. Ash was about to ask who was there when he caught part of their conversation.

"Think we can dump to body here?" A male voice said. Body?

"Why not? Don't look like the place's been touched in years." Another voice.

"More like decades." Said the first voice. The men laughed.

Ash took a step back. Then another. He eyed the haystack in the corner. Ash didn't know what they were talking about- he could have misunderstood them. Yet he knew he hadn't. He glanced at the door again. Then he turned around, scooped up Pikachu, and ran toward the haystack.

The bales were stacked three long and high and two wide. It was about a foot from the back wall, more than enough room for Ash to squeeze in. He set Pikachu down in front of him and scooted further into the corner. His foot hit something hard. He looked down. A small silvery-white object was at his feet. Its longer end was about half a foot, and then curved into a handle of three inches, and was an inch wide. A _Shi Reza_. Ash knelt down and wrapped his hands around the cool metal, just in case. Then he heard the footsteps crunch on the dead hay, heard a thump as something was dropped to the floor. Ash stood up just enough for his eyes to peer over the topmost bale, hardly daring to breath.

His heart missed a beat.

There. On the floor. His blue shirt stained a deep scarlet like his hair.

Gary. His dead eyes stared right at Ash.

* * *

**Sorry it took so long to get out such a short chapter, but y'know when life is all "Here's a billion things to do, best get to it!" you kinda set free writing aside for a bit. I've also been thinking about some new stories: **

**1. A cross-over of Deathnote and Psycho Pass (L, Light, and Shogo... This should be interesting)**

**2. A Ranger's Apprentice story about Crowly's apprentice**

**Do you say yay or nay to these story ideas? I'll probably write them even if you don't want me too ('cause it will mean longer pauses between chapters for this story) but I still value your opinion! Please leave reviews for The True Story of Pokemon, too, or puppies will die!**

**Almost forgot about my song-of-the-week! Since I ****_did_**** forget last week's, I'll give you two. 1. Dead Wrong by The Fray 2. Welcome to the Jungle by 2CELLOS (Remember: 2CELLOS, ****_not _****guns n' roses, 2CELLOS is way more awesome.) **


	6. Terror

**Hello Again! Once more, sorry for the long pause in between chapters; I've been bad. :3 Well, anyway, hope ya'll enjoy.**

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Terror

Ash couldn't move. He stood frozen; staring at what had been Gary. Now it was just a lump of flesh. How? How could this have happened? He was sweating now and his lips felt dry; his legs protesting being forced into this cramped position. But he didn't notice any of that. Ash's senses were all smothered by an overwhelming feeling: terror. He was going to die. He was going to be killed just like Gary. He was going to be another lump of flesh on the floor.

One of the men had taken out a knife and was reaching down towards Gary's body. Were they going to mutilate the corpse? Were they going to do the same thing to him? The man grabbed Gary's hand. There was something clutched firmly in between those cold fingers. The man pried it out of his grip and cut off one of Gary's thumbs with the knife, then put it in a plastic bag. Then he looked once more at the object that Gary had been holding.

"Bah. Just a piece of scrap metal." He said, kicking it into the corner. It hit the edge of the barn and rolled into Ash's hiding place. It was half of a Pokeball, its white surface stained red with Gary's blood. Part of the Pokeball that he and Gary had fought over years ago. Ash looked away from Gary and reached down to grab the Pokeball half. The blood on it was still slick.

Then Pikachu sneezed. The sound ripped through the silence like stampeding tauros.

"What was that?" said one of the voices, tense.

"A sneezing Ratata, by the sounds of it." Said the other voice, slightly amused.

"We don't know that! We need to check it out." Said the first voice.

"No, newbie, _you _need to check it out. I'm going outside for a smoke." This statement was followed by footsteps and grumbling from the "newbie." They were going to find him. There was no place for Ash to escape.

But then he remembered the _shi reza _he was holding. Ash had never used one, but he knew about it. It was kind of similar to a Pokeball. It shot a thin ray that could basically disintegrate whatever it touched by turning that matter into light. But the ray was very small and too weak to do much damage to anything. What made it so notorious was its ability reconstruct the materials in human blood into a combustible compound. Deadly to humans with minimal impact to your surroundings. They were also extremely illegal, even to the police.

The footsteps were drawing nearer. Ash drew a breath and lifted the _shi reza_ in front of him, his finger on the trigger. When the man showed his face, Ash would- The man's face appeared, he had olive skin with brown eyes and black hair. They eyes widened in surprise as he saw Ash, standing there. Then they saw the shi reza in his hand and widened even more with fear. Ash couldn't do it, he couldn't shoot someone. Even if they had killed Gary, even if they were going to kill him. He couldn't. But his terror could. It pulled the trigger for him. The nameless man's face contorted itself gruesomely, the olive skin bubbled and stretched as the blood beneath it began to combust, and then his head exploded in a shower of blood that sprayed all over Ash. All of this took three seconds.

Ash barely noticed the blood. Barely noticed the other man yelling as he sprinted past him, with Pikachu following. He ran through the bushes, paying no mind to the path, chest heaving but he barely felt a thing. He had to get away. Ash could hear the other man's strides thundering towards him through the brush, and he desperately shot the air behind him, but none of the rays hit. He kept running, Pikachu following close behind. It was now early evening, the sunset casting an red glow over the gathered clouds. Leaves smacked his face as he ran through the forest, but suddenly, the trees ended. He was back on the main path.

Should he follow this path, or should he run into the trees on the other side? His pursuer was about twenty feet behind him now, yelling into a walkie talkie.

"A damn kid with a gun was hiding in the place we dumped the body, and Marcus is dead. I need some more men to help me catch him!" More men, all searching for him so they could kill him like Gary. Suddenly the open road felt exposed and defenseless, and Ash ran into the trees on the other side, chest heaving. He couldn't keep up this pace much longer, even with his adrenaline boost. He had to find a place to hide. Suddenly his foot caught on a tree root, and he was pulled earthward.

"Ah!" he yelled, tears entering his eyes as his chin scraped the hard packed dirt. His ankle throbbed, and when he tried to get up he almost collapsed from the pain. But he had to keep going. The clouds above him began to open up as rain poured down, and Ash saw Pikachu growl at him, urging him to hurry. But he couldn't, he couldn't run anymore. He could barely even walk. The Pikachu took one last look at him and then ran ahead, away from Ash.

"Wait, Pikachu! Stop, Please!" Tears he hadn't even noticed choked his voice, and he fell down again, clutching his ankle. The rain was a torrent now, pouring down in sheets. Through this torrent charged his pursuer, finally catching up to him. Ash pointed the shi reza at him and shot wildly, but it missed again. The man kicked the gun out of his hand and then in the stomach once, twice, three times. The pain was even sharper than that of his ankle's.

"That's for killing my friend." He said. Through Ash's fear clouded mind, the words pierced him. Killing _his_ friend? They had killed Gary, they were going to kill him! And this man was talking about _his _friend? But then ash noticed the red blood sprayed across his hands and arms, soaking more of his shirt than the rain. His hands began to tremble.

"I've found him." The man said into his walkie talkie.

"_Are you in an isolated place?_" came a static-laced reply somewhere at the other end.

"Yes, unless you count leaves." The man said.

"_Shoot him._"

"Will do." The man put the walkie talkie in his pocket. It was over. Ash knew it, he was going to die. His first day of his journey and he was going to die.

"Sorry to have to do this to you, kid." Ash looked up at the man standing over him. He had a strong jaw and large forehead, with green eyes and dark brown hair. There was a scar running from his left ear to his chin. He was probably in his thirties or forties. But what surprised Ash were his eyes. In them, there was something almost like compassion, almost like regret. But it was really just the cold pity that you give to people living on the street. You're sorry for their situation and the hungry state they're in, but you really don't care enough to do anything to help them, and as soon as you look away and forget about them. "Even if you are the bastard that killed Marcus." He said. Ash's hands kept shaking. "Where did you even get a shi reza? What normal twelve year old boy carries around a weapon like _that?_" the man shook his head incrediculously. "And why were you even in that God-forsaken place?" he said. Then he sighed and crouched down next to Ash, so close Ash could feel his breath brush off his nose.

"You have my friend splattered all over you, boy. Was that body we dumped your friend?" he asked. Ash didn't respond. "Hm? Cat's got your tongue? You don't have to say anything, you can just nod." Ash didn't move. The man sighed again. "You're not very good company. This job gets lonely when the people around you are always disappearing; I thought we might be able to have a nice conversation before you died, but I guess not." The man picked himself up now, and pulled a gun out of a pocket in his coat. Here it came. Ash was done fighting. He didn't even try to run as it was pointed at his head.

"If all goes well, I'll never see you again." He said. Ash closed his eyes. He just wanted this nightmare to be over. But instead of the bang he was expecting, he heard Pikachu's voice.

"Pika-CHUUUUU!" the blinding light shone through Ash's closed eyelids, and his spine trembled at the power of the electrical current so close to him. Ash looked up when it ended. The surrounding trees were scorched from the lighting, smoldering despite the rain. The man's prone body lay on the floor in front of Ash, with Pikachu to the right of it.

"Pikachu," Ash said weakly, "thank you." He struggled to his feet, favoring his injured foot. "More of them are coming, we have to get away." he said, beginning to half-walk half-hop across the forest floor. Pikachu ran up ahead and then looked back at Ash, chattering nervously. "I'm coming." Ash mumbled to himself. He couldn't quit yet, he had to keep going. The wind howled and the rain fell like icy bullets on his skin. The sky was wreathed in black clouds that made it so dark Ask could barely see in front of him.

Ash had painfully hobbled about fifty feet, Pikachu always and few steps ahead, urging Ash to keep walking, when he heard voices in the trees behind him. The words were unintelligible through the smothering rain, yet Ash knew there was more than two. Fear clutched his lungs in it's icy grip and despair turned his limbs to lead. He was going too slow, once they began to search for him there was no way he could outrun them. Pikachu was still panting heavily from the previous thunderbolt; Ash didn't think he could reproduce it. And even if he could, how many times? Enough to defeat all of his pursuers?

But then Ash heard another, closer noise, almost indistinguishable from the rain: the river.

* * *

**I'm hoping to get the next chapter out quicker than I have been, but no promises! I also hope you all get the ****_shi reza_**** thing, I kinda made it up on a whim, but if you have any questions about anything just ask me. (I won't give out any spoilers, though). As always, I appreciate your reviews! I print out each one and frame it! ...Not really :P But the point is I like them!**

**Aaaaand here's a song: These Days by Foo Fighters**

**Ciao**


	7. The River's Mist

**Well, here's the next chapter! Sorry for the wait, but you'll have to deal. As always, enjoy!**

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The River's Mist

Ash hobbled as fast as he could towards the sound of rushing water, his only hope of escape. Pikachu stood a few feet ahead of him, ears twitching, his cheeks loosing nervous static, then as Ash got close to him he ran a few more feet ahead, urging Ash to continue. The sound of water was growing louder; it was easily distinguishable from the rain now. But so were the voices. Ash's heart thumped in time with the throbbing pain in his right ankle, the rain drenched his already blood-soaked shirt, and his adrenaline rush was reaching its end. He was done, he couldn't go any further. But then Pikachu suddenly stopped and did not continue, even as Ash got closer. In the dim light Ash could not see what had stopped Pikachu until he was right next to him; there was no more ground, it ended ten feet above a swiftly flowing river.

Though it had been his plan to escape in the river, Ash wasn't sure he could survive the exploit. Ash had only swam in the shallow, soft-flowing waters of the upstream river. But here, the cold, black waters rushed violently, swelled by the torrents of rain. And if he didn't drown, what was to say he didn't bash his head on a rock? But Ash pushed these doubts back, if he didn't jump here, he would certainly be killed by whoever was chasing him. Ash scooped up the unresisting Pikachu and held him tight against his chest. Then he took in as much air as his chest could hold and, with his good leg, plunged himself into nothingness. For a split second, Ash was suspended in the air, caught between the killer intent of his pursuers and the deadly force that was the rushing water, with the never-ceasing raindrops that touched his flesh the only testament of his existence. And then…

Cold. Freezing, numbing, heart-stopping cold. That was the first thing that Ash's adrenaline-shocked mind recognized as he was plunged into the icy water. And then came a fierce burning in his chest as the water carried him swiftly downstream. Still clutching Pikachu tight, Ash kicked his feet towards what he thought was up until his head broke the surface, his lungs greedily sucking the life-giving air. Then the merciless water forced him back into the choking darkness, all but ripping Pikachu from his grasp. Ash kicked towards the surface again, and once more he was pushed under just as he sucked in a mouthful of air. He hadn't gotten enough that time, and he sucked in widely, desperate for air but receiving only the cold water which burned like ice in his lungs. The cold water sucked the life from his tired limbs; his weak kicks could no longer carry him towards the surface.

But then the river took pity on him. It carried his limp form around a rock and through a rapid into calmer water, where his head could stay above the surface long enough to satisfy his and Pikachu's air-reprieved lungs. But the respite was only temporary. The water was constantly carrying Ash towards larger rapids, where his bones would be crushed against the rocks should the water not choke the life out of him. Now was his only chance. Regaining some sense, Ash kicked as hard as he could toward the dim outline of the bank ahead, treading water with one arm while holding Pikachu with the other. The rapid's pull was growing stronger, and Ash's kicks carried him less and less as he approached the deadly torrent.

But then, his foot hit the soft sand of the river's bottom, and he pushed himself forward until he could stand with his head above the water. Then he slowly made his way to the shore, his right leg becoming painful and unwilling to move once again as it left the water. Ash collapsed as he reached the bank, cold and exhaustion finally overtaking him. He hoped Pikachu was still alive, Ash thought weakly, and then he dropped off into a dreamless sleep.

Suspended between consciousness and sleep, Ash's groggy mind was still at home, in his bed, dreaming about what Pokemon he would choose. But then feeling expanded to all his limbs and… Pain! There was not a bone in his body that didn't feel sore and numb from cold. His right ankle throbbed violently, and he could hardly move it. His ribs protested angrily with every breath he took, and his left arm prickled because he had slept on it all night. But worse than any physical pain was the memories. Oak's cryptic message and Gary lying dead on the floor, Ash's blood soaked hands and Pikachu's thunder. They hit Ash like a wave, pouring over him and leaving him empty and shell-shocked. Ash couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, he just lay face down in the mud, shivering violently.

He was physically drained and emotionally spent, and Pikachu was… nowhere. This realization was enough to open Ash's dark eyes just a crack. He pushed himself into a sitting with his position with his arms, wiping off some of the mud caked on his face. The constricting darkness of last night was gone, replaced by pale sunshine that danced on the surface of the river, which looked nothing like the torrent whose cold arms had tried to drown him last night. But between the bank and Ash, Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. Where could he hav-

"Are you all right?" said a voice behind him. Ash hastily spun around, startled. The speaker was a girl about his age with orange hair and sea-green eyes.

"Ye- Yeah, I'm fi-" Ash began to say automatically, but stopped as he realized she was talking to Pikachu, who was bundled up in her arms, and that he was _not_ fine. Not that there was much this girl could do about it.

"Pikachu, is he ok?" Ash croaked, trying and failing to stand up. The girl cast him such an angry look it would've made his mother proud.

"Ok? _Ok?_ Of course he's not ok! He's nearly d_ead_! What kind of awful trainer battles their Pokemon this hard?" She shrilled. "I can't believe a little, irresponsible punk like you could even _get_ a Pokemon! What are you, nine?"

"I'm twelve!" Ash said defensively. He hated it when people thought he was younger than he was because of his height.

"I don't believe you. You're too short and irresponsible to be any older than nine! I'm twelve so I would know." Ash was about to protest, but she interrupted him. "That doesn't matter right now, though, this Pikachu needs to get to a Pokecenter! I have a bike but it only fits one, so I'll ride to the Pokecenter in Viridian, and you get there as fast as you can." She said, making her way to a red bike.

"Wa-wait!" Ash yelled after her, successfully standing up on one foot now. He half-hopped half-shuffled to where she was standing, staring at his bad foot as she realized for the first time he was injured, too. "You can't leave!" Ash said. He would not be left alone in the middle of nowhere, waiting defenseless to be picked off by the men searching for him last night. The thought of that shook him fully awake.

"What do you mean? I have to help your Pikachu!" She said, placing the yellow mouse into a basket on the front of the bike. "If you're injured, then wait here and I'll come back for you."

"No!" Ash yelled, frustrated and tired. "I need to- I can't-" He didn't know how to explain the events of yesterday to her, didn't know how to tell her how serious the situation really was.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked incredulously. Ash was now standing next to her, leaning heavily on his good foot.

"I'm sorry." He said, pushing her into the muddy bank and clumsily getting onto the bike. The first few feet were precarious, the bike wobbling dangerously on either side. But as he gained speed the bike balanced itself out.

"Hey!" she yelled after him, pushing herself out of the mud and running after him. "You bike thief! I'll report you to the police! I'll- I'll" But it was no use. Ash was already speeding ahead of her. Pedaling was much easier than walking. His left foot could do all of the work while his injured ankle simply rode up and down on the pedal. Only as her cries faded into the distance did it occur to him that he shouldn't have left her all alone, either. Or at least have warned her of the danger she was in. This thought slowed him down a little, but he didn't stop. He wasn't that noble. Instead, he sped down the dirt road to Viridian city, dust flying behind him in the morning sun.

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**What a jerk, that Ash, pushing a lady! Dishonor on ****_him_****! Dishonor on his ****_family_****! Dishonor on his ****_cow_****! (tell me if you get the reference, and don't cheat!) Um, I have a big XC meet on Thursday so please wish me luck all you nameless strangers! That's all, ciao!**


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